Lions and Tigers and CGI Bears, Oh My! June '16 - COMPLETED 6/4, page 22

[ALEXandFAB]

We're flying JetBlue this year, and while they have seatback video screens, they link up to live DirecTV

I love JetBlue. Son and I take it at least once every year to join my husband during one of his business trips.

Coronado! Our true home. It's welcoming us back

For those of you who have read my other TRs (thanks!), you know that we had a 5-year run at Coronado, then took a year off to stay at Caribbean Beach in 2015. I loved it, but not as much as Coronado. Kristin wasn't a fan. The pool slide and location of Customs House were big downsides, in her opinion, but we're back here now, and it feels like we never left!

Glad you're back "home". We'll be staying at CSR during our upcoming trip so I'm EXCITED to see all the pics/read about your stay.

We reached the room, and it's about 100 feet, at most, from the pool area. Awesome!

GREAT location...wow!

with garlic wedges.

Wish I had those garlic fries in front of me right now. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Swimming is next on the agenda, and our luggage is here, so we don't have to use the small tube of sunscreen we were able to get into our carry-ons. We hit the pool, and of course, photos are in order!

My kid can't stop talking about the pool area and most of all, the slide. He'll be in there daily, I'm sure.

some sort of hard tortilla-like thing

A tostada?

And this mini-lillypad shot:

Lovely shot.

Kristin and I want to say "hi" to Nana at Peter Pan's Flight to kick it off, but the kids say that ride's "boring".

Boring?! Never!

Hitting rope drop at MK is essential, as I'm sure most of you know.

Darn you, witch!

we take a spin on the People Mover.

As a kid, this was my parents favorite attraction (at Disneyland, way back when it was still open). I never got WHY they enjoyed it so much. That is, until I got a little longer in the teeth and started developing aches and pains...and sore feet. I can truly appreciate it now. It provides a great rest. And the people watching is excellent too.

 

[Clarf]

Dylan's tired of being photographed already. It's going to be a long two weeks for you, kid.

Oh man, it sure is. He does not look thrilled.



(Note: every time you read "Mickey!" in this Trip Report, you should read it in the voice of Randy, the little brother from "A Christmas Story", when he spots Mickey in the Christmas parade. Watch the film again if you do not know what I mean. Yes, I realize it's July. But watch it anyway. Or, at least, that part. Or not. It's optional. Our rules are pretty loose around here, to be honest.)

Um.... I had already read it that way before I even read this.

This is us on the bus:

Oh Dylan. Just suck it up and smile.









For those of you who have read my other TRs (thanks!), you know that we had a 5-year run at Coronado, then took a year off to stay at Caribbean Beach in 2015. I loved it, but not as much as Coronado. Kristin wasn't a fan. The pool slide and location of Customs House were big downsides, in her opinion, but we're back here now, and it feels like we never left!

We of course love CBR, but I totally get that you have your "home" resort. Though Lucy's been asking to try CSR, so it may be in our future!





In case you're wondering, yes, Dylan is really wearing a sweatshirt in Florida, in June. I didn't even bother to pack any jeans or long-sleeved shirts. It's Florida. In June. Let's be realistic.

Wow. Being from Wisconsin, if it hits like 55 we're all in T-shirts and shorts. I can't even imagine a sweatshirt in Florida in June!

This is the kid who wants to wear shorts in winter, btw.

Hah! Of course he does.

But first, in for a quick stop at Panchito's, where I show the entire internet where to find me, for stalking and harassment purposes.

Hmmmmm.....good to know! I'll begin the stalking shortly.





And Emily got...

Mac and Cheese! We live that also. It's all Maura orders ever.

..








Notice how the beaches and waterfront look? They won't look like that at the end of the trip.

This is so sad and I'm so heartbroken for the family.

And, in the world of strange coincidences (or, as I call it, living in the Matrix, where everything I love seems to line up with one another), my favorite band of 30 years, Iron Maiden, released a Coronado Springs pool-themed album this year. Or, at least that's what I'm telling myself. You be the judge:

Looks about right.




Emily in the water is essentially the same as Emily on land. She's on her hands. She's doing some sort of flip. She's asking us "are you ready?" before every trick.

Oh, yep! Us too, except they don't ask "are you ready" because we don't care anymore.






One of Emily's favorite pool activities is "give herself hair similar to that of the Founding Fathers."



If you didn't already know, EVERYTHING I think is some sort of reference. Not an original thought in my head.

Oh, mine either. Sometimes Jason and I have complete conversations in movie/TV quotes. Family Guy, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Caddyshack are huge ones for us.

Sorry, Dylan. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not.

These are the best



Dylan got the Queso Fundido, because big bowl of cheese.

That is a Wisconsinites dream right there! Yum!

D Emily stopped, apparently to be photographed doing that Whip and Nae Nae thing that's all the rage with kids either now, or at some point in the last year.


I don't get it, but I don't think I'm SUPPOSED to get it..

Me either. I don't get it at all. Thankfully our girls were never that into it.





Enjoy it while you can, girl. Changes are a-comin'.

It was an interesting night in other ways, too, with me noticing Dylan mumbling, "shut up!", angrily, at about 2:00 am. After a few times, I asked him if Kristin's snopring was keeping her up. Yep, that's it. I politely ask Kristin to roll over (I am a strong advocate of politeness in the middle of the night), and he slept well the rest of the night.


I stopped being nice about Jason's snoring several years ago. He gets a hard elbow to the ribs now and even that doesn't always help!











We had a discussion about what we would ride first. Kristin and I want to say "hi" to Nana at Peter Pan's Flight to kick it off, but the kids say that ride's "boring". What??

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? That's Disney blasphemy!

The ride opened after we arrived, and ended up in the second boat!

That is amazing!





I think the people riding with us were first-timers, because the teenage daughter kept referring to the main character as "Briar Rabbit". Briar Rabbit? Really?

Um.....

After Pirates, it was time to cash in our first FastPasses of the trip, for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! There's disagreement on the 'boards about this ride, but we all love it. Yes, it's short. But it's a lot of fun while it's going, and the animatronics are top-notch.

I totally agree with this. We love everything about it.

For dessert, some of us got the (can't go wrong with the) chocokate cake (seen in previous photo), while others went for the cobbler (also seen in previou photo). The cobbler was delicious!

I dream about that chocolate cake.

We sort of like the Speedway...I mean, we'll ride it, and we have fun riding it, but it's not a "must do" by any stretch of the imagination. We might ride it at some point on this trip. Who knows?

It's still a must do for us. And if how our kids drive those cars is any indication of their future driving abilities we are all in a heap of trouble.

Wait, is this place actually open?

Whoa, seriously? I thought it closed down years ago!



I wish you could still hear the singing lessons.

YOu can't? That's sad.


Others are beat, but not too beat to dab:

I don't get this one either.

Great updates! But I can't believe you aren't going next year! How will we all survive without a nilla TR????? Oh the horrors!

 

[adobda]

And, in the world of strange coincidences (or, as I call it, living in the Matrix, where everything I love seems to line up with one another)

This made me laugh because whenever strange coincidences happen to us, my husband always responds with "matrix says..." or "we've been matrixed!"

Also, please hurry up with your 1900 Park Fare review; we're eating dinner there during our upcoming trip and I'm (not so) patiently waiting to see what you thought of it!

 

[princessesandpascal]

I'm 6 pages late, but I'M HERE! It occurred to me part way through my impromptu Disboards hiatus that I was probably missing quality trip report material. Luckily, I didn't miss too much! Fantastic start to the trip, and I can't wait to follow your constant stream of references again.

Personally, I was a fan of "I Was a Middle-Aged Haunted Mansion Elitist" as a title, but only because I Am A Millenial Haunted Mansion Enthusiast, which is nearly the same thing.

Also happening that night was Dylan's new overuse of the word"cheeks", meaning "not good".

Every time I think I'm up to date on what teenagers are saying and doing nowadays, something like this makes me feel like I'm ancient. My days of being a cool hip teen are over.

I lived with a gymnastics coach for three years. This is a familiar sight.

I love the family fist bump!

I think the people riding with us were first-timers, because the teenage daughter kept referring to the main character as "Briar Rabbit". Briar Rabbit? Really?

I wonder what they thought when it was time to meet Sleeping Beauty. Did they call her Br'er Rose?

A quick, purchaseless stop at Memento Mori...

The day I come into an excessive amount of money, this print is coming home with me. I took a picture of it and it's the background of my phone, which is a slightly less satisfying alternative.

They have a "customize a phone case or Magic Band" sytem in that store, too, and Kristin's been (as I said earlier) looking for a Haunted Mansion case for her friend back home. No luck outside of the customizable cases, though, since they apparently don't stock a lot of cases for the iPhone 6 Plus. The customizable ones are more expensive, though, so she texts her friend to let her know.

I got the customizable HM case (the one that looks like a tarot card), and man, I love that thing. I get a lot of comments on it. The very large purple eyeball in the middle reminds me of Welcome to Night Vale. It's a really nice case: if Kristin did decide to get it, it's a really unique design.

 

[nilla]

Glad you're back "home". We'll be staying at CSR during our upcoming trip so I'm EXCITED to see all the pics/read about your stay.

There will be many!

GREAT location...wow!

It was! Requesting this building panned out! Love the Water View rooms, too. That's all we book anymore.

Wish I had those garlic fries in front of me right now. They wouldn't stand a chance.

They were so good! The regular fries were, too. Pepper Market was a hit!

As a kid, this was my parents favorite attraction (at Disneyland, way back when it was still open). I never got WHY they enjoyed it so much. That is, until I got a little longer in the teeth and started developing aches and pains...and sore feet. I can truly appreciate it now. It provides a great rest. And the people watching is excellent too.

It just feels "Tomorrowland" to me. It's like a tour. We'll stay on and ride two or three times, on occasion.

Great updates! But I can't believe you aren't going next year! How will we all survive without a nilla TR????? Oh the horrors!

I should do a fictitious trip report. I'll make the entire thing up. Imagine the possibilities.

This made me laugh because whenever strange coincidences happen to us, my husband always responds with "matrix says..." or "we've been matrixed!"

Also, please hurry up with your 1900 Park Fare review; we're eating dinner there during our upcoming trip and I'm (not so) patiently waiting to see what you thought of it!

It's coming tonight! Hold on!

Personally, I was a fan of "I Was a Middle-Aged Haunted Mansion Elitist" as a title, but only because I Am A Millenial Haunted Mansion Enthusiast, which is nearly the same thing.

It would really be an appropriate title, but not until Day 11. *foreshadowing*

Every time I think I'm up to date on what teenagers are saying and doing nowadays, something like this makes me feel like I'm ancient. My days of being a cool hip teen are over.

I was never a cool hip teen, so I'm really at a disadvantage.

I love the family fist bump!

As prescribed!

The day I come into an excessive amount of money, this print is coming home with me. I took a picture of it and it's the background of my phone, which is a slightly less satisfying alternative.

I want everything in that store. Everything.

I got the customizable HM case (the one that looks like a tarot card), and man, I love that thing. I get a lot of comments on it. The very large purple eyeball in the middle reminds me of Welcome to Night Vale. It's a really nice case: if Kristin did decide to get it, it's a really unique design.

I saw that one! Really cool. I think the recurring problem was the stock of iPhone 6 Plus cases was really slim.

Updates coming now!

 

[nilla]

We head over to the Grand Floridian using the bus/monorail combo that just makes sense when it comes to getting from Coronado to the Grand Floridian. We're there in plenty of time, too.

Mickey!



We check in. Before they call you, they give you the opportunity for glamour shots.





I took the second one. I'm not the best at leveling out the phone when taking pictures, but I'm learning.

Soon enough, we're inside. I think I hit the restroom before sitting down, because somehow, I missed this:



Either that, or I was up getting food. I didn't miss this, though:



The Prince told Dylan he's looking for a date for Anastasia, which he's apparently been trying to do for a while now. No such luck. Dylan's not interested.

The stepsisters were just leaving our eventual table when we arrived, so it could be a while before they come back. Might as well eat.

 

[nilla]

The highlight of the meal, of course, is the strawberry soup:



Emily, Kristin, and I love it, but Dylan thinks it tastes like Pepto.

The food here was good, but not spectacular, IMO. There were some hits. The chicken was really good:



As was the ravioli.

Emily liked some of the dessert items:



It looks like she got a hold of the phone here, because I doubt Kristin or I would take a photo of every gummi bear formation.







There were other desserts as well.





Lots of good stuff!

But c'mon, bring on the stepsisters!

 

[nilla]

Seriously, bring on the stepsisters. It's getting later, and we have a FastPass for Space Mountain at 7:15...wouldn't want to miss...

Kristin talks to the character CM, and she says she'll send them right back when they come out again. And she does. Thanks!

The kids were pretty chill through the whole thing:



Alright, here come the characters! They're all jerks, so I don't know what we're so excited about. But we are.

First off is Lady Tremaine:



She's a great character, like most of the villains. I don't even remember what she had to say, but whatever it was, it was funny.

Anastasia is next:



She's possibly the best character in all of Disney that isn't nicknamed the "Big Cheese", and she's on tonight. She hits on Dylan the entire time, as I'm sure she does to every guy. He's not interested.



He did acknowledge her, though, eventually. He even got up for a picture, which is amazing.



I don't remember what she had to say here, but whatever it was, it was funny:



One more pose...



...and it's time for Drizella.



Not as funny, but she never is. No one is. Still great, though. I think the main topic of conversation was Emily's hat.

The meal was decent, with some highlights. The atmosphere is great, too. The characters are what make it, though. Great way to kick it off!

 

[nilla]

Alright, we're done! Back to MK, but first, let's gawk at this chocolate carriage:



Now, a photo of the Mary topiary outside:



And one of the Mary topiary outside, with Emily in front of it:



And one of the Mary topiary outside, with Emily and Kristin in front of it:



And now one of Kristin in front of a non-chocolate carriage:



And now I'm tired of copy/pasting that, so you can figure out what's happening in each picture on your own, no problem:





That seems to be the pose of the night. Emily also lost her rubber flip-flop, but it was well before 12:00, so she had plenty of time to go back and grab it:



We head upstairs to wait for the Monorail. Back to MK!

 

[nilla]

We catch the next monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. On the way, I look out into the water below the track, searching for alligators. I'm always searching for alligators down there. I know they're probably out there, but I never see them.

The monorail gets us back to MK, and we should have time to get to Space Mountain. Our FPs expire at 8:15, and we can get back there before that. Dylan keeps saying, "we're not gonna make it!", but I think he's just messing with us. He's doing it in the Mission: Sinise voice, so it's ok.

He's really protesting now that Kristin wants to stop for a photo in front of the Castle:



Photos done, we really should head over to Tomorrowland. No time for any more photos. We're at the Mountain.

While in line, Kristin makes FPs for Buzz Lightyear at 8:25, which is only a few minutes from now.

We ride Space Mountain, love it as always, then head on over to Buzz. We get there right at 8:25, and Kristin immediately makes our next FP - the Little Mermaid ride at 8:30. Really?

I start out Buzz Lightyear hot, racking up 200,000 on that orange robot alone. But then, I fell apart. I couldn't get ANYTHING. It was dreadful. Dylan, on the other hand, maxed out at 999,999, by hitting the bottom of Zurg's spaceship.

After the ride, Emily finds something that leaves her outraged:



More bars? What?

Now, they might say that's there to keep Zurg in, but look at him. He's huge. And he never got out before with the old system.

Or did he? I have missed some things on the 'boards. Remind me to do a search on "Zurg Statue Comes to Life and Escapes Gift Shop" after I'm done posting. Thanks!

Either way, Em's not happy:

 

[nilla]

After Buzz, we head back to Dumbo's Circus.

Wait, what?

What on Earth are we doing in Dumbo's Circus?

Funny you should ask! Emily's consumer quest on this trip was to find a Shellie Mae bear. If you are not familiar with Shellie Mae, then just think "Girl Duffy".

Emily LOVES her Duffys, and she's wanted a Shellie Mae since we found out about her several years ago. Up until now, she hasn't been in WDW, but I heard they're selling her this year.

We enter whatever the big top gift shop is called, and I'm walking straight back to the stuffed animals. Fast. Emily's keeping up. She takes a turn at one point, then we both meet, simultaneously gasping so loudly that people probably started slowly moving away from us.

There she is! Shellie Mae!



Em also wants an outfit for her, but I forget which one. I wanted her to buy the Olaf suit, but that's a no-go. Kristin convinces her to just get the bear for now, since we can get the outfit with a discount at World of Disney.

"We can get that at World of Disney" became a common shut-down of Emily purchases. It was a success, but there were arguments.

The promotion this year at the shops is the opportunity to buy a Mickey backpack if you spend a certain amount. We were a little under, but the CM let us buy it anyway. Now we have two different Mickey backpacks! How many do we need? The answer is "as many as the offer us," obviously.

Outside, Emily poses with her new friend:



Now, it's off to go Under the Sea.

When we arrive, we realize why we were able to get FPs for five minutes after we were booking them. We could have walked on this ride in the standby line. It's dead.

Shellie Mae's first ride!



We can't get the best photos in here, but we try:









Wait, wrong ride!

 

[nilla]

Alright, back it up. While on the Little Mermaid ride, Kristin got FPs for the Haunted Mansion (yay!) at 9:00. That gave us time to ride It's a Small World, since we didn't care about staking out a spot for Wishes tonight.

Turns out that was the only photo we took on that ride, prior to the finale:



Aww, thanks! You, too. Sorry we didn't take more photos of your ride, but we have hundreds from prior trips. Plus, we just wanted to soak it all in.

Speaking of soaking it all in, I got to ride the Haunted Mansion by myself again, thanks to my awesome family! I think Dylan might have been by himself, too.

Best ride ever. No question about it. For me, anyway. I love it so much!

Not enough to take any photos of it, apparently. But there will be some later.

Kristin secured us some Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road FPs while in the HM queue for 10:00, and it was getting close to that time.

Wishes was at 10:00 as well, so Frontierland was fairly empty. We board the ride, and for some reason, I peek at the guy's cell phone in the seat in front of me. I don't usually do this, but I read his message. No idea why.

"I'm concerned about why there's a helicopter with a search light flying around."

What? Helicopter? What's going on?

Eh, who knows. Back to the ride.

This ride is SO MUCH FUN at night in the first place, but we got on it right as Wishes was starting. That was such a cool experience. That's my new favorite way to watch Wishes.

No photos, though. Photos were really thin at this point. None on the Jungle Cruise, either.

Oh, yeah - we rode the Jungle Cruise. Walk-on. The Skipper didn't really seem on tonight, for some reason. Still a fun ride, and we're done here. What a great night!

We're getting tired (lightweights!), so we decide to head out.

 

[nilla]

We cross into the Hub. Hey, wait - it's Celebrate the Magic! I love this show!







We can see the helicopter now, too, and it looks to be flying over the resort area. We have no idea what it's looking for. Kristin wonders if it cool be a shooter somewhere, but the park would be locked down if that were the case. This is odd.

After the show, it's time to head out. For real, this time.

Fountain shot first!



Ok, now we're going. As is everyone else.



I guess I should have said, "some of us are going." Kristin and Emily want to stay to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade from the train station, but Dylan and I are going to head back.

Dylan notices that the helicopter is flying closest to the Grand Floridian. Where we were earlier.

Back to the room we go. In the meantime, Kristin got some pictures of the parade!





I'm not a big fan of the parade. I'm not even sure why. It has some stuff I really like, though.



Kristin likes this:

 

[nilla]

After a long wait for a bus, Dylan and I got back to the room at 11:30, and I started resizing the prior day's photos so I could upload them and not use up all of my space on Photobucket.

Around 11:45, the (old) Star Wars fireworks started at Hollywood Studios. You can see them perfectly from CSR, and it sounds like they're right outside your room. It's like you're at the park.

After the fireworks, I checked out Facebook, and saw my name tagged in a post from a friend, linking to an article about an alligator attacking a child in Disney World.

Oh no. This has to be fake.

But it's not. And it was at the Grand Floridian, where we were earlier that night.

Everyone's heard the story by this point, but at the time, it was a complete shock. I told Kristin and Emily about it when they got back, and Kristin said they got back quick from MK after the parade, and watched the fireworks from a hammock on the beach at CSR. That would be the last time any of us laid in a hammock on the beach at CSR.

What started out as a fantastic first park day, ended up with news of tragedy, right where we are. I can't even imagine what that family went, and is going, through.

Our trip must continue, however, and we need to get to bed. Hollywood Studios tomorrow, and we can't sleep too late.

(Up next, Day 3 - Wednesday - Hollywood Studios)

 

[rndmr2]

Nice update, looks like you had a great dinner at 1900 PF. I have heard the character interaction there is the best. We don't do character meals but this one is one I would like to do someday, both for the Stepsisters and for that strawberry soup.

You accomplished a lot in those last few hours after dinner, glad you got to ride HM by yourself. That goodbye thing they do at IASW looks cute

It's so unfortunate that the alligator attack even happened, I feel for the family too.

 

[ArielSRL]

We always used to do breakfast at 1900 Park Fare but we haven't been back in so long. I think we got on the Chef Mickey's kick or awhile. Next trip, we are going 'Ohana. And I do realize I don't have to choose but with all the other choices at WDW, I do kind of have to choose.

Again, envious of all you guys got accomplished.

Horrible, horrible about the alligator and the little boy. We had left the Saturday before. So much tragedy for Orlando in a few days' time.

 

[Stephanator]

Hi there!

I just stumbled upon your trip report when I fell down The Dis rabbit hole so to speak. I excited to hear about the rest of your trip and possible binge on your previous trip reports as well.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Hurrah! I love your TRs. So happy to see a new one with almost two weeks worth of fun to tell us about! I can't believe how big the kids are now - crazy. So cute that Emily still brings Duffy and that her love of Mac & cheese lives on. I've never stayed at Coronado but reading your reports makes me want to! I still can't believe that gator attack happened. Unimaginable.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Glad I found your report! We stayed at CSR June 5-10 for the first time, and I'm sad to say that we are definitely CBR people. CSR was fine, we didn't have any problems, but we didn't love it. Anyway, we were in Ranchos 7B, so our bus stop was 4 also, and the bus board was there but wasn't working when we used the bus (we drove a lot). We used bus stop 2 on second MK day, and their bus board was working. It was really nice to have!

 

[AllysonL]

Loving all your photos so far, that iPhone takes pretty good pictures! I can't believe you guys were at GF the night that happened. I knew y'all were down there that week, I did think of you guys when I heard the story... so crazy.
Looking forward to the next update!